This article is from page 6 of the 2008-11-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
FINE Gael in Clare are calling on the Government to introduce emer- gency legislation to close a loophole which allows head shops in Galway and Limerick to sell potentially dan- gerous herbal-drugs legally. Concerns have been raised over the mental health implications of the use of a herbal version of ecstasy known as the ‘party pill’. According to South Galway Senator, Fidelma Hea- ly Eames (FG), two young people are currently undergoing treatment for
mental health problems in the area as a result of taking the ‘party pill’.
Herbal ecstasy contains a substance knows as BZP or Benzylpiperazine, which has been banned in most EU countries but remains legal in Ireland. According to north Clare county councillor and psychiatric nurse, Joe Arkins (FG), legislation is needed to tackle this situation.
“The onus is on the Government here to resolve this situation. If a sub- stance is dangerous then it should not be sold. Cannabis is a herb and that is not for sale legally in Ireland so the
same should apply here,” he said.
“These substances have been banned in most EU countries already but it is better later than never. If we had a good, quick bit of legislation on this then we could solve this problem very quickly.”
While no official figures exist on the usage of herbal drugs in Clare, anec- dotal evidence would indicated that both the ‘party pill’ and the halluci- nogenic herb salvia are both widely used in the tourists areas in the north and west of the county, particularly CLUN mn ercaMetomclUbevaeCoumeelOyelsetcy
Salvia, which is a variety of sage, is the only naturally occurring sub- stance known to induce a visionary or hallucinogenic state.
Last week gardai carried out searches in a number of head shops throughout the country as part of an investigation into the licensing of certain products.